Since time immemorial, problems of storing and organizing items have plagued mankind. Evidence has been found that early humanoids utilized naturally occurring holes, niches and ledges for the storage of a variety of objects. Owing to the ever-increasing world population and the concomitant increase n the number of manufactured items, storage space has become a very significant concern.
In any building, particularly a commercial building, floor space is at a premium because it represents an expenditure of money. Anything that consumes large amounts of floor space relative to the revenue it generates represents a business loss. In businesses such as advertising agencies, architectural firms, engineering firms and the like large amounts of flat work are generated. This flat work, often of unusual and diverse sizes, may occupy space in an office for time periods ranging from days to years. Storage of such materials consumes inordinate amounts of otherwise productive floor space. Usually, flat work is set in inefficient piles or stood on edge against walls until needed. Such storage represents lost space that could be more productively utilized and furthermore can result in damage or loss of stored articles. Similar problems occur in the home where a variety of differently shaped objects such as books, magazines, tools and clothing must be stored.
What is needed is a flexible storage system capable of accommodating a variety of oversized or odd-shaped items in a manner which will remove them from the floor but yet leave them readily accessible for retrieval. Conventional shelving retains items upon a generally horizontal surface and is thus not well suited for storing large flat items. Various prior art approaches to wall mounted storage of flat items have been implemented; however, such methods have not fully addressed storage problems, particularly problems associated with the storage of oversized or odd-shaped items.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,105,594 of Henrich discloses a unitary, multi-compartmented, card rack fabricated from a single sheet of metal. The rack of Henrich is configured to be appropriately bent and to be nailed to a wall. By folding the appropriate interlocking tabs, the metal sheet may be configured to provide a plurality of compartments, each operative to retain a glass front plate. The rack of Henrich is not a modular item and hence the spacing and number of the associated compartments cannot be varied. Furthermore, the compartments of Henrich do not include a full bottom and cannot be utilized to store loose items such as pencils, small machine parts and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,014 of Bobrick discloses a wall-mounted vertical file configured to hold business correspondence and the like. The file of Bobrick includes a primary tray which is affixed to the wall by nailing and a plurality of secondary trays supported by the primary tray. A similar arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,094 of Evans. Holders of this type are suited for light business correspondence; however they cannot adequately support relatively large art work, drawings and the like insofar as the entirety of the assembly is supported by the primary tray. Additionally, support arrangements of this type do not provide any flexibility in spacing and arrangement of the individual compartments.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,789 of Howitt and U.S. Pat. No. 3,247,809 of Thomson disclose shelving units which attach to wall tracks. Units of this type do not provide for vertical storage and as noted hereinabove are not suited for storage of large flat items.
What is needed is a storage system which may be adapted to provide for the vertical storage of a variety of items, particularly large flat items. It is further desirable that such storage systems allow for reach positioning and repositioning of the storage units. It is further desirable that such a system below cost and easy to use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,488, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a wall-mounted storage system referred to as a "cluster bin system." This system includes a number of wall-mounted storage bins which may be utilized singly or in various combinations. The bins are of relatively low cost and may be stored in a flat, unassembled form until needed. They are light in weight and may be made in relatively large sizes for storage of oversized items.
The cluster bins of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,488 include bottom portions which engage, and are supported by, the wall to which the bins are affixed. This provides a positive and tight seal which enables the bins to retain a variety of small items therein. In accordance with the present invention, it has been recognized that the aforementioned bins may be modified so that the bottom thereof is supported by support elements such as tabs or separate support members which attach to the wall. These embodiments are of particular importance where the bins are affixed to irregular wall surfaces or when very large size bins are employed.
It has further been recognized in accord with the present invention that the fold provided by the living hinge of the bins enhances the rigidity and stability of the planar portions of the bins and hence the inclusion of extra hinge portions is particularly important where extra strong or very large bins are needed. These improvements further enhance the utility of cluster bin storage systems while retaining the advantages of low cost, flexibility and ease of use and storage. These and other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the drawings, discussion, description and claims which follow.